Queen Elizabeth II, aged 96, died at Balmoral. Any common person’s death only brings changes in the lives of his/her family but here the queen of Britain has died, which is going to be deeply felt all around the world. Customs of Queen’s death are expected to take place in the next 10 to 12 days. A certain level of preparations for her funeral are expected because this is probably the most influential death of this century. The news was communicated internally with (not so secret) phrase “London Bridge is down”. The protocol was set shortly after she became the queen.
The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change. She was the UK’s longest-serving monarch, who has now died after reigning for 70 years.15 Prime Ministers were changed in these years. Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed by the Queen said that she was the rock on which modern Britain was built, who had “provided us with the stability and strength that we needed”.
Some changes will be seen in their national anthem as the “King” is going to replace “Queen”. Her eldest son Charles, 73, automatically becomes king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. His first speech for the kingdom as a king is expected soon.
During her reign, the royals went from stiff, remote figures to tabloid fodder and were then popularized anew in television dramas such as “The Crown,” watched by tens of millions worldwide. Her time on the throne spanned an era of remarkable change; from the Cold War to the 9/11 attacks, from climate change to coronavirus, “snail mail” and steam ships to email and space exploration. She was seen as the living embodiment of post-war Britain and a link between the age of information and a bygone age.
